There's been a chill in the air the past couple of days. Chicago weather being what it is, it's best to relish the real fall weather when it's here because winter comes fast. Spring and autumn are more like holidays here than seasons.
Seems like a month or two ago I was in Tennessee on New Year's Eve. The day I started this blog feels even more recent...weeks, maybe. I'm shocked to think that I've already chalked up over 120 posts and people actually stop by to read them.
What's the point? I'm not sure. I'm feeling sentimental, I suppose. I lost an uncle today, my wife's been digging through her family's past for long-deserved answers, and my niece is fighting a battle no 14 year-old should have to endure.
The last several times I've logged into WoW it's felt empty...pointless. The work we do now...heroics, raids, dailies...is becoming obsolete at a startling pace. Why scratch and claw to collect better gear now, when in no time we'll be able to get comparable gear from a heroic 5-man?
It's the MMORPG treadmill, I know that. WoW's an escape, though. It's a chance to forget about real life and all the difficulties it brings. It's a chance to go from, in my case, a cube-dwelling spreadsheet jockey to someone who matters...at least until somebody in better gear comes along.
Obsolescence, whether referring to the gear we're wearing or our characters themselves, creeps in and makes WoW more frustrating than an escape should be. It's hard to feel like a fantasy hero when you can't keep up with the bleeding edge and, subsequently, you're neck-deep in mediocrity.
Bottom line: Real life sucks. Sometimes WoW life sucks. When they both suck at the same time, though, that's a problem.
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9 hours ago
14 comments:
When I feel burn out I usually turn to playing alts. They always replace their gear in a level or two, and their professions work keeps me happy. That said, I am trying to focus my raid time on my main to maximize having fun with the folks I like to play with, in manageable doses. I sometimes try to do too much, which leaves me in a cloud of meh.
@candy: "cloud of meh." Quite possibly the best way to describe it.
That is called "burnout" my friend!
My biggest personality flaw is saying "I just raid for fun", but when the heart of the matter is deep down I am competitive and want to be part of the bleeding edge. Yet, I don't have the time or the skill to really be there. Couple that with the euphoria of downing bosses you thought were impossible one week, and then having your raid group completely not gel the next and having utter disappointment, and you get an awful case of "meh".
One way I've found of getting around this is limiting the time I spend with Kay. That way she doesnt feel like a "job" to me. She raids 2 nights a week, farms one. Other nights are dedicated to alts and just screwing around. When I get in that funk I remember that I play for the social aspect of the game more than anything else. People ask "how do you spend 3 hours fishing?" well.. I'm on vent, I'm chatting in guild and in whispers. I'm like a teenage girl on a 3 way call with the tv and radio blaring in the background! As pathetic as it sounds, WoW is adult conversation time for me. My husband works nights, I work all day and take care of the kids at night. My online "friends" help me keep my sanity. When I get pissy about not getting any new loot in 3 weeks, or not being able to take down that boss, I remember the real reason I'm playing is for the companionship!
<3 Kaylex aka Baybdoli
@Kay: I'm prone to burnout. I think most tanks are, to be honest. So much rides on you each time you run an instance that it takes its toll.
I'd imagine the same goes for healers.
I think if you still want to play and not take a total break from the game then you need to play on one of your alts.
Better yet, play an alt on another server.
I've been alternating between my horde lock and my human mage and it has done wonders for my burnout. The horde lock especially. She is on another server and the quests are new and different.
You can always stay in vent if you want the social aspect still.
@Tatia: I've wanted to play one of my alts, but my problem is that I feel like if I'm not playing Mis then I'm gonna get left in the dust and no longer an asset.
If I'm not running something, I feel like I need to be doing dailies, farming, auctioning, etc.
None of my alts are in a position to carry the financial weight so, in order to afford doing much of anything, it's up to Mis.
You need to just let that go. We are not that much of a progression guild that you will be left behind us that far.
You gotta stop compairing yourself to dily and zakk. those two have far too much time on their hands.
Look at it from this viewpoint. You need back up for Mis, but you cannot get the back up until you get another toon to max level. So you need to just take some time and work on an alt. Having more than 1 80 helps so much. I found that doing dailies on Tatia was so much easier than doing them on Millea. Who knows, maybe your next 80 will make things easier for you to do what you are striving to do.
I definately think you need a change of pace though.
I'm not necessarily comparing myself to anybody, it's just more of a desire to remain relevant in general. ilvl only gets you so far, but you've gotta stay within striking distance of a certain level of raiding before you start to feel like it's a lost cause.
That make any sense?
Yeah I can understand that, and see what you are talking about.
Then the answer is to get EoF raiding Ulduar regularly. Toss in some Ony raids and get us going into ToC.
But use the non-raiding days to give yourself time off. Do something like Baybdoli does. Raid 2 nights, farm another, then use the other time to play alts. Break down your time.
I know how you feel Mis. I haven't been on in a month and I feel like I'm way behind everyone now. Part of me wants to get back to it and part of me doesn't want to. I want the social aspect of playing, but now that I'm on the west coast and everyone I know will be in bed by the time I get on, I don't really want to play anymore.
@Nite: I actually haven't been getting on until 10:00ish server myself. We're just getting warmed up at that time :)
But I'll prolly be getting on around 2am server once the family has moved out here. I will be out here alone in Nov. so I should be on sooner at least for another month.
What you can do is just dedicate 2 days a week for WoW. During that time it should be uninterrupted WoW where its your own time and nobody is allow to bug you, barring any unforseen situations or emergencies. Set one day for raiding and the other for levelling an alt. The rest of the week then is family time. Thats not too extreme right?
Thats how my coworker has it setup with his wife. The only raid he does is basically Ulduar and ToC. He doesnt run lower level raids because he only has a limitted time. If there are other tanks in the guild who are decently geared and on constantly then let them handle those lower level raids. Delegation. And it would be a great chance for them to get experience leading a raid.
@Jaz: I'm really starting to warm up to the alt thing. My DK is a scribe, so I'm thinking I may devote some of the weekend to upping his herbalism so he can farm in Outland while he quests. Glyphs fluctuate, but are still a good business all things considered.
Besides, he owes his big brother Mis a ton of money for flight training/skeletel gryphon. :)
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